Docent lecture - Leonardo Rosado

The metabolism of cities - a research proposition

​Abstract:Cities are very complex systems that until recently have been very difficult to understand from a holistic perspective, in particular regarding resource use. Research has been mostly conducted either on specific sectors, or specific resources. A research field that deals withthese questions is called Urban Metabolism, and the few studies made provide coarse and aggregated description of resource use in cities, indicating the need for further advancements in scientific knowledge. In this opening lecture, a research proposition for Urban Metabolism is going to be presented, showcasing the work done byt he Urban Metabolism group at Chalmers in the past five years and how it contributes to unlocking knowledge to study cities in detail, and how this is useful for society. Emphasis will be put on the need to develop better analytical tools and models, that are,to the extent possible, universal in their nature.